We took the train to Yokohama in hopes to see the magnificant Red Brick Warehouse. In 1859, the Yokohoma port opened for foreign trade. The Red Brick Warehouse held Japan’s first cargo elevators, sprinklers, and fire doors. The Warehouse consist of two buildings, the second being completed before the first.
After we browsed a few shops, we decided to walk towards the ferris wheel. Where there is a ferris wheel, there is popcorn and cotton candy. The ferris wheel is apart of Cosmo World, an amusement park. Cosmo World has no admission fee, but you do have to pay for the individual rides. Surprisingly, the water rides were running. The chilly weather didnt seem to affect anyone else but me. In December, most amusement parks in America are closed.
Cosmo World
Next stop, CupNoodle Museum. I must say, CupNoodle is the typical broke-college-student staple. When the dining hall wasn’t open, a CupNoodle (chicken flavor), some apple sauce, and a juice pack could get anyone through a night of cramping for midterms. At the CupNoodle Museum, I learned about the “Father of Instant Ramen”, Momofuku Ando.
Momofuku Ando and I. We both have shiny foreheads. Haha!
Momofuku Ando created Chicken Ramen in 1958, also called “magic ramen”. His second invention was CupNoodles in 1971, transforming “made in Japan” instant ramen to global food. Ando’s third invention was space ramen. Space Ramen is based on the hot oil instant drying method he invented in 1958.
Contents of a CupNoodle
This museum caters to the minds of the youth, with intentions to use creativity to promote discoveries. Ando’s story is displayed on a long panorama on the wall. As you walk through the museum, you can follow his footsteps of his life dedicated to creating food. Through the exhibit, there are creative thinking boxes, each with one of the six key ideas Ando used in his creative process.
There is an Instant Noodles History Cube. It shows chicken ramen from the beginning until today. This museum also provides the opportunity to make chicken ramen by hand on the third floor. The CupNoodles Park, on the fourth floor, walks children through the manufacture process, from making the noodles and shipping them out. The Noodles Bazaar is the restaurant portion, also on the fourth floor, where customers can choose from eight variaties of noodles Momofuku Ando encountered during his search for the origin of ramen.
Overall, I like how interactive this museum is with the children. Along with showing the history of CupNoodle, it encourages children to tune into their own creativity to create something great. In the gift shop, it was interesting to see the variety of flavors of CupNoodles. And best of all, it was only an 500 yin admission fee. That’s less than five dollars in America.
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